Instagram tackles Sextortion scams with new safety features, awareness campaign

Instagram tackles sextortion scams with new safety features and an awareness campaign to protect young users from cybercrime threats.

Instagram tackles sextortion scams through a new initiative aimed at protecting young users from cybercrime threats.

In collaboration with organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn, Instagram is providing tools for teens and parents to identify and avoid sextortion scams.

The initiative includes partnerships with popular creators to engage teens in awareness efforts.

To further support users, Instagram has released an educational video explaining tactics scammers use, such as pressuring victims to share sensitive images or moving conversations to other platforms.

The platform reassures teens that falling victim to sextortion is not their fault and offers resources for seeking help.

Additionally, Instagram introduces new safety features to counter sextortion, including a restriction on taking screenshots of direct message content set to “view once” or “allow replay.” Suspicious users will also be prevented from viewing follower lists, reducing the risk of exploitation.

To bolster protection, Instagram is globally launching a nudity protection feature that automatically blurs inappropriate images in direct messages for users under 18.

The platform has partnered with mental health services like Crisis Text Line in the US, offering real-time support to users facing sextortion or child exploitation.

Instagram is also targeting organised sextortion rings by removing thousands of accounts linked to these criminal groups, taking a comprehensive approach to combat this cybercrime.